Postdoctoral Fellowship in Mental Health Implementation Science

Applications are invited for exciting postdoctoral fellowship opportunities under the direction of Dr. Victoria Ngo, Director of the Center for Innovation in Mental Health and PI of multiple domestic and global mental health studies, including the Harlem Strong Initiative, Building Resiliency in Youth (BRY), C2C Job Plus.

About the Projects:

Harlem Strong Initiative (NIMH U01) is a community-wide multisector collaborative to transform how mental health services are delivered in Harlem. Mental health task-sharing will be integrated into low-income housing, primary care practices, and community-based organizations. The goals are to (1) problem solve financing, access, and quality of care barriers, (2) support capacity building for mental health task-sharing for community health workers, (3) facilitate coordination and collaboration across mental health / behavioral health, primary care, and social services, and (4) identify a set of common metrics and strategies for continuous system quality improvement.

Building Resiliency in Youth (NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) is a partnership between CUNY CIMH and NYC DOHMH to support development of mental health awareness and services for youth-serving Community-based Organizations in 33 neighborhoods with significant racial and economic disparities in health outcomes. The goals of the project are to support mental health task-sharing, including mental health promotion, screening, psychoeducation, brief evidence-based interventions, and to strengthen referral process for CBOs in NYC.

Community Connections to Care Job Plus Program (NYC Human Resources Administration) is a partnership between CUNY CIMH, HRA, DOHMH, and NYC Office of Economic Opportunity, to support development of mental health services for public housing residents who are receiving employment support services through the Job Plus program. The goals of the project are to support mental health task-sharing, including mental health promotion, screening, psychoeducation, brief evidence-based interventions, and to strengthen integration of employment and mental health services delivered to residents in public housing across NYC.

The full-time position is a 2-year fellowship that focuses on applied research program dedicated to improving the evidence base on mental health task-sharing implementation models for at-risk communities in NYC and abroad. Our studies focus on developing, implementing, and scaling up mental health and psychosocial interventions in community accessible settings, including primary care, community-based organizations, houses of worship, and studying the effectiveness of various team-based models of care and implementation strategies.

The Postdoctoral fellow will work closely with the PI and investigators to manage the research study and ensure that project milestones are met. The fellow will oversee training and implementation process, community partnerships, quality improvement strategies, and data collection. The postdoctoral fellows will support research coordination (including IRB management, clinical trials registration, project management, data collection, etc.), trainings and implementation supports for evidence-based mental health interventions, community engagement activities, along with analysis of large dataset of implementation and outcome data, manuscript preparation, and presentations. There will also be opportunities to develop new research grants, including a K award at the end of the fellowship.

This opportunity will provide the fellow with opportunities to develop research, clinical, and training skills to lead community partnered mental health implementation science studies, publish, write grants, and gain experience in mental health implementation science in a local and/or global context. The center has a large network of collaborators and can offer many professional and research development opportunities.

See more about center projects here: https://cimh.sph.cuny.edu/

The current stipend is commensurate with the standard National Institutes of Health rate ($65,000- $80,000) and is eligible for benefits. A travel stipend will be provided for necessary travel, including conferences and trainings. Two positions are available, with one more oriented to clinical / training responsibilities and a second more oriented to research and data management.

Please submit:

1. Cover letter
2. Statement of Purpose (including research and clinical interests and experience, training and supervision experience, research/academic goals). Please indicate preference for specific projects, if any.
3. Sample of academic writing or intervention manual
4. CV
5. 3 references

Qualified and interested candidates are welcome to follow up directly with questions to:

Vidya Sharma, Program Manager, CUNY Center for Innovation in Mental Health mailto: Srividhya.Sharma@sph.cuny.edu; please Cc cimh@sph.cuny.edu to facilitate communication and scheduling.

Job Responsibilities:

Project/Program Coordination – Provides moderate to advanced coordination needed to initiate, run and conclude Project/Programs activities. Coordinates meetings, including preparing agendas, and sharing meeting minutes and action steps. Coordinates schedules, activities and logistics/technology for virtual and in-person meetings/special events with academic and community partners, including outreach, training, and other community implementation support activities.

Research Coordination – Conducts literature reviews and responds to requests for information as needed. Coordinates communications and project/research activities at clinics, community sites, and study partner sites, including recruitment, consenting, data collection, and data requests/transfers. Monitors progress towards completing project deliverables, meeting recruitment goals, and adherence to study timelines. Assists with development of research abstracts, manuscripts, conference presentations, and other products.

 Program and Training Development – Support development of project intervention and training materials (manuals, tools, curriculum, mental health promotion toolkits, implementation guides, etc.).  Leads meetings/workgroups for the purpose of identifying and cataloguing community health worker / navigator best practices for inclusion in presentations and trainings. with implementation sites.

Provide training and implementation support - Work with PI and lead trainers to deliver training workshops on mental health task-sharing, and supervise community providers on screening, psychoeducation, referrals, and basic psychosocial support skills. Also support continuous quality improvement including problem solving implementation challenges, providing technical assistance for program implementation. Develop and support community collaborative network

Reporting / Grants Support – Prepares and reviews documents independently and generates status/progress reports for Project/Programs. Drafts letters, memos, agendas, presentations, and reports. Reviews, edits and obtains appropriate approvals. Responds to correspondence and refers complex issues with recommendations to manager/PI. Follows protocols as defined by the grant and institutional policies and procedures. Contributes to grants development and reporting. Collects, organizes, and coordinates scientific materials as appropriate.

Project Support – Provides guidance, training, and leadership to research support/field staff. Engages in direct supervision of 3-6 staff. Develops plans and processes for staff monitoring, team building and effective communications. Performs staff evaluations and supports staff professional development.

Participates in special projects and performs other duties as required.

Other Duties:

• Support training certificate program
• Lead analysis of longitudinal data in mental health services research
• Engage in high-level research and publishing on projects regarding ongoing work related to the depression care projects and task-shifting research globally and locally. 
• Support grant applications

Key requirements:

• PhD in field related to Clinical/Counseling Psychology, Public Health, Implementation Science, Social Work, and/or Mental Health with strong background in implementation science
• Experience working on implementation science, effectiveness studies, and quality improvement strategies with service systems. Familiarity with hybrid implementation-effectiveness research designs, cluster randomized control trials, longitudinal studies, clinical trials, and quality improvement approaches is needed.
• Experience conducting research in culturally diverse contexts
• Experience working in NYC and/or similar communities
• Experience implementing mental health evidence-based interventions (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Problem Solving Therapy, Behavior Activation, Interpersonal Therapy, etc.)
• Experience providing training and supervision to community providers is preferred
• Experience with community-based participatory research
• Experience in project management and coordination
• Experience in research and data management
• Publication record that demonstrates candidate’s capacities, proficiency with advanced statistical and computational programming preferred
• Statistical capabilities: Demonstrated ability to analyze data from cluster randomized trials, work with missing data, conduct multilevel modeling, oversee technology-based data collection and data monitoring, and utilize mixed methodologies to triangulate qualitative and quantitative data including survey, implementation, and claims data.
• Experience with mental health technological tools (applications, websites, SMS interventions) are preferred. There will be opportunities to develop further in this area.
• Language skills (Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Chinese) are preferred.